1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a handheld survey documentation system based on a handheld computer, particularly for use in the building industry, and to an associated program algorithm.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At the present time, when acquiring survey measurements, particularly distances, areas and volumes, for describing a building layout, sketches are usually prepared by hand to illustrate the building layout, and the survey measurements are then noted on the sketch and associated with geometric objects. Occasionally, a digital photograph of the building layout is also taken in addition for purposes of documentation. This process is cumbersome, prone to errors and costly. It also cannot be further processed electronically and is time-consuming.
DE10055510 discloses a handheld laser distance measuring device which is connected to an optical camera for recording the measurement situation along the sight line and for marking in the photograph the parallax-free measurement point that is actually measured. The data (photograph with measurement point and measurements) can be transmitted via a data interface to an external computer for documentation and further processing. While a system of this kind is suitable for survey documentation of an individual measurement along the sight line of the laser distance measuring device, it is not suitable in principle for survey documentation of a spatially coherent building layout comprising a large number of individual measurements at different targets or aim points of different reference points.
WO2004036246 discloses a handheld laser distance measuring device which is integrated in a handheld computer or is connected thereto by a data interface. The keyboard and the display of the computer are used for interacting with the laser distance measuring device. Further, an optical camera can also be integrated in the handheld computer. A program algorithm is provided for controlling the laser distance measuring device from the handheld computer. The survey measurements can be further processed subsequently in the handheld computer. An efficient program algorithm for a survey documentation system is not described more fully. In particular, a reliable documentation of the survey results of each individual measurement is not guaranteed. However, acquisition of a building layout in an intuitively simple but reliable manner is important precisely when employing labor forces in the building industry.